The oldest players to have played in Champions League final
With his appearance for Juventus against Barcelona tonight, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will go down the history books of the UEFA Champions League as he would become the seventh-oldest player to feature in a final. Aged 37 years and 129 days, the Juventus shot-stopper will be the third Italian in the list of the seven oldest players.
The oldest player to have featured in a Champions League final is Dino Zoff, who was 41 years and 86 days when Juventus lost to Hamburg in 1983. Interestingly, Zoff is also the oldest World Cup winner in the history of the tournament, having lifted the prestigious trophy back in 1982 while leading the Italian national team as their skipper.
Buffon is also one of the few successful players to have never lifted the Champions League trophy, and that is something the Italian goalkeeper would want to change.
| Player | Position | Club | Nation | Final | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dino Zoff | Goalkeeper | Juventus | Italy | 1982/83 | 41 years 86 days |
| Edwin van der Sar | Goalkeeper | Manchester United | Netherlands | 2010/11 | 40 years 211 days |
| Paolo Maldini | Defender | AC Milan | Italy | 2006/07 | 38 years 331 days |
| Lothar Matthäus | Defender | Bayern Munchen | Germany | 1998/99 | 38 years 66 days |
| Alfredo di Stefano | Forward | Real Madrid | Argentina/Spain | 1963/64 | 37 years 328 days |
| Ryan Giggs | Winger | Manchester United | Wales | 2010/11 | 37 years 180 days |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Goalkeeper | Juventus | Italy | 2014/15 | 37 years 129 days |